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Abstract

Background

The patterns of radiotherapy (RT) practice for biliary tract cancer (BTC) in Japan
are not clearly established.

Methods

A questionnaire-based national survey of RT used for BTC treatment between 2000 and
2011 was conducted by the Japanese Radiation Oncology Study Group. Detailed information
was collected for 555 patients from 31 radiation oncology institutions.

Results

The median age of the patients was 69 years old (range, 33–90) and 81% had a good
performance status (0–1). Regarding RT treatment, 78% of the patients were treated
with external beam RT (EBRT) alone, 17% received intraluminal brachytherapy, and 5%
were treated with intraoperative RT. There was no significant difference in the choice
of treatment modality among the BTC subsites. Many patients with EBRT were treated
with a total dose of 50 or 50.4 Gy (~40%) and only 13% received a total dose ≥60 Gy,
even though most institutions (90%) were using CT-based treatment planning. The treatment
field consisted of the primary tumor (bed) only in 75% of the patients. Chemotherapy
was used for 260 patients (47%) and was most often administered during RT (64%, 167/260),
followed by after RT (63%, 163/260). Gemcitabine was the most frequently used drug
for chemotherapy.

Conclusions

This study established the general patterns of RT practice for BTC in Japan. Further
surveys and comparisons with results from other countries are needed for development
and optimization of RT for patients with BTC in Japan.

Keywords:

Background

Biliary tract cancer (BTC) is a rare disease that is curable by surgery in fewer than
10% of all cases. Prognosis depends in part on the anatomic location of the tumor,
which affects its resectability. Total resection is possible for 25% to 30% of lesions
originating in the distal bile duct, a rate that is clearly better than that for lesions
in more proximal sites. However, the rate of relapse is as high as 60-75%, even if
clear resection (R0 resection) is possible [1]. In many patients with a tumor that cannot be completely removed by surgery, other
treatments such as radiotherapy (RT) or stenting procedures may maintain adequate
biliary drainage and improve survival. Optimal management is therefore essential for
both postoperative and unresectable BTC.

In Japan, there were an estimated 20,734 new cases of BTC in 2007, with more than
a 3-fold increase over the last three decades [2], while RT has become much more common because new methods and technology for treatment
planning are now available. For these reasons, optimal management of RT for BTC has
become a major concern in Japan. For the study presented here, the Japanese Radiation
Oncology Study Group (JROSG) conducted a nationwide questionnaire-based survey on
BTC. The questionnaire elicited detailed information regarding patient characteristics,
treatment characteristics, and outcomes of treatment. The primary goal of this study
was to determine the patterns of RT practice for BTC in order to provide assistance
with development of future randomized clinical trials. Therefore, factors influencing
the treatment outcome are analyzed elsewhere (Yoshioka et al.: Factors influencing
survival outcome in radiotherapy for biliary tract cancer, submitted). To the best
of our knowledge, this is the first report to establish how RT is used nationally
to treat BTC in Japan.

Methods

The JROSG conducted a nationwide survey of RT used for BTC treatment between 2000
and 2011 using a questionnaire requesting detailed information on patients and treatment
characteristics. Patients were included if they met the following criteria: diagnosis
of BTC without evidence of distant metastasis; treatment with RT between 2000 and
2011; no diagnosis of any other malignancy; and no previous RT. Diagnosis of BTC without
pathologic verification was based on radiographic findings from contrast-enhanced
computed tomography (CT), ultrasonography, endoscopic ultrasonography, and endoscopic
retrograde/magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography.

Of the 71 radiation oncology centers in Japan belonging to the JROSG, 31 (40%) agreed
to participate in the survey. The other centers did not participate mostly because
too few BTC patients had been treated with RT at the center in the study period. Each
participating center provided a database of patients with BTC treated with RT between
2000 and 2011. The study was performed according to guidelines approved by the institutional
review board of each institution whenever necessary.

The Mann–Whitney U test and Student’s t-test were used to investigate relationships between variables. A p value of < .05
or a 95% confidence interval not including 1 was considered to be statistically significant.
All statistical tests were 2-sided.

Results

Data collection

Detailed information was collected for 555 patients from 31 institutions with a median
of 15 patients per institution (range: 1–56 patients). The distribution of the number
of institutions based on the number of patients treated between 2000 and 2011 is shown
in Figure 1. This indicates considerable variation among institutions in the number of patients
treated during the 11-year period: ≤10 patients were treated at 13 institutions (42%),
while over 30 patients were treated at only 6 institutions (19%).

Figure 1.Distribution of institutions by number of patients treated during 2000–2011. The number of patients varied considerably among institutions.

Patient and disease characteristics

The background characteristics of all 555 patients are listed in Table 1. The median age was 69 years old (range, 33–90 years old) and 48% of the patients
were ≥70 years old. Pre-therapeutic evaluations were performed by ultrasonography,
CT, and magnetic resonance cholangiography in 81%, 93%, and 58% of the patients, respectively.
Regarding the primary site, ~50% of BTC lesions arose in the perihilar regions of
the extrahepatic bile duct, with distal regions of the extrahepatic bile duct being
the second most common site (26%). Among all patients, >80% had an Eastern Cooperative
Oncology Group performance status of 0–1, ~30% had a drinking or smoking habit, 52%
had an unresectable tumor at diagnosis, and 53% had clinical stage T3-4 disease at
diagnosis.

Characteristics of surgical procedures

Primary surgery before RT was performed in 242 patients (44%). Curative surgery was
performed in 235 patients, but only 63 (26% of those who underwent surgery) had complete
(R0) resection. R1 resection (microscopic positive margins) and R2 resection (macroscopic
residual tumor) were performed in 142 (59%) and 37 (15%) patients, respectively. Note
that surgeries included non-curative (R2) and curative-intent (R0 or R1) resections,
because our cohort was based on a RT database. Lymph node dissection was performed
on 173 patients (71%) and a positive node was identified pathologically in 85 patients
(35%).

Radiation treatment characteristics

The most common treatment modality was external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) alone (78%
of the patients), followed by intraluminal brachytherapy (ILBT) with or without EBRT
(17%) and intraoperative RT (IORT) with or without EBRT (5%). Chemotherapy before,
during, or after RT was used for 260 patients (47%).

The patterns of RT practice or choice of treatment modality according to the BTC subsites
are shown in Figure 2. Because the subsites of 17 patients were unknown, the patterns for 538 patients
were analyzed. The rate of primary surgery varied according to the tumor subsite:
primary surgery was performed for only 30% of tumors that originated in proximal regions
(intrahepatic and perihilar), but for 67% of those that originated in more distal
lesions (distal and gallbladder) (p < .05). However, there was no significant difference in the choice of treatment modality
among the BTC subsites.

Figure 2.Patterns of radiation practice or choice of treatment modality by BTC subsites. There was no significant difference in the choice of treatment modality among the
BTC subsites.

Table 2 shows the treatment modality choices according to purpose of RT, which was divided
into four groups: RT after curative resection (R0-1) (n = 183), RT after non-curative
resection (R2) (n = 33), curative RT for inoperable cases (n = 235), and palliative
RT for inoperable cases (n = 78). The purpose of RT for inoperative cases (curative
or palliative) was chosen by radiotherapists who answered the questionnaire. Twenty-six
patients with IORT were excluded from this analysis based on a comparison of doses
among the variables because strong bias was suspected when a parameter such as IORT
was used, which involved a very large dose at one time. Over 90% of the patients who
underwent surgery received EBRT alone. For the patients who did not undergo surgery,
there was a tendency for ILBT with EBRT to be used for a curative purpose more often
than for a palliative purpose, but the difference was not statistically significant
(25% vs. 15%, p = .08). To compare the combined dose of ILBT and EBRT with a single modality dose
(ILBT alone or EBRT alone), the total dose (ILBT + EBRT) was calculated as the biologically
equivalent dose in 2-Gy fractions (EQD2) using the linear quadratic model. The value used for assessing effects on tumors
was α/β = 10 Gy. The median EQD2 for EBRT alone, ILBT alone and EBRT with ILBT was 50 Gyα/β10, 36 Gyα/β10, and 60Gyα/β10, respectively, while that for ILBT with EBRT was significantly greater than EBRT
alone or ILBT alone (p = .001). In terms of treatment purpose, however, there were no significant differences
in the median EQD2 among the groups (50Gyα/β10 for all variables).

Table 2.Choices of treatment modality according to purpose of RT (n = 529)

EBRT characteristics

The characteristics of the 521 patients who received EBRT are shown in Table 3. The median duration from surgery to EBRT was 34 days (range, 9–88 days). EBRT was
administered with ≥3 portals to 69% of the patients, at ≥10-megavolt beam energy for
>90%, and at 1.8 Gy or 2.0 Gy per fraction; and with a total dose of ≥40 Gy for ~90%.
CT-based treatment planning and conformal RT were used for 90% and 64%, respectively,
of patients treated with EBRT, but only two of these patients received intensity-modulated
RT (IMRT).

A summary of the EBRT field based on performance of surgery and nodal status is shown
in Table 4. The treatment field consisted of the primary tumor only in 388 (75%) of 521 patients
and the primary tumor plus regional lymph nodes in 119 (23%). Patients who underwent
surgery received RT for the primary tumor (bed) plus regional lymph nodes more frequently
than patients who did not undergo surgery (29% vs. 19%, p < .01). Additionally, among the patients who underwent surgery, RT for the primary
tumor (bed) plus regional lymph nodes of those with clinically positive nodes was
more frequently performed than in patients with clinically negative nodes (31% vs.
12%, p < .01). However, patients with pathologically positive nodes tended to receive RT
for the primary tumor (bed) plus regional lymph nodes more frequently than patients
with pathologically negative nodes, but the difference was not statistically significant
(37% vs. 27%, p = .16). Among patients who did not undergo surgery, RT for the primary tumor and
regional lymph nodes of those with clinically positive nodes was more frequently performed
compared to patients with clinically negative nodes (56% vs. 6%, p < .01). However, some patients with clinically positive nodes also underwent EBRT
for the primary tumor only (43%).

Table 4.EBRT field according to performance of surgery and N stage (n = 521)

Analyses of practice patterns of EBRT were performed according to caseload of institutions
(Figure 3a-d) and patient age (Figure 3e-h). Caseloads were divided into three categories based on the number of patients
treated within the study period at each institution (≤10, 11–29, and ≥30 patients).
In institutions with ≥30 patients, the rates of postoperative RT (compared to inoperable
cases) (Figure 3A), EBRT for the field of the tumor (bed) plus regional LN (compared to tumor only)
(Figure 3B), and patients receiving ≥60 Gy (Figure 3C) were significantly higher than those in institutions with <30 patients. Age was
also divided into three categories (<60, ≥60- < 80, and ≥80 years old). The use of
CCRT was significantly higher in patients <60 years old compared to those ≥60- <80 years
old, and in those ≥60- < 80 years old compared to those ≥80 years old (Figure 3H).

Figure 3.Practice patterns of EBRT according to caseload of institutions or patient age. Three categories were formed based on the number of patients treated at each institution
(≤10, 11–29 and ≥30 patients) (A-D) or age (<60, ≥60- < 80, and ≥80 years old) (E-H) and evaluated based on treatment intent (A, E), EBRT field size (B, F), EBRT total dose (C, G), and concurrent chemotherapy (D, H).

ILBT and IORT characteristics

A total of 96 patients (17%) received ILBT at 13 institutions (42%). The characteristics
of these cases are listed in Table 5. All 96 patients were treated with ILBT using an iridium-192 source and at 5 or 6 Gy
per fraction in 55% of cases and with a total dose of ≥15 Gy in 85%, 76 (79%) of whom
received ILBT with EBRT at a median EBRT dose of 40 Gy (range, 20–60 Gy). The most
common prescription point was 10 mm from the source (75%).

IORT was used for only 26 patients (5%) at four institutions (13%, 4/31), 12 (2%)
of whom received IORT with EBRT and 14 (3%) received IORT alone. The median dose for
IORT was 25 Gy (range, 20–30 Gy), with a median beam energy of 12 mega-electron volts
(range, 4–25 mega-electron volts).

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy was used for 260 patients (46%), including 167 concurrently with RT (78
concurrently alone; 7 pre-RT and concurrently; 67 concurrently and post-RT; and 15
pre-RT, concurrently, and post-RT), 4 pre- and post-RT, 12 pre-RT alone, and 77 post-RT
alone. The drugs and timing of chemotherapy for these patients are listed in Table 6. Chemotherapy was most often given during RT (64%, 167/260) followed by after RT
(63%, 163/260), while the most frequently used drug for chemotherapy was gemcitabine
(47%) followed by 5-FU (37%). TS-1 and UFT were especially frequently used after RT.

The 167 patients who received chemotherapy during RT (concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT))
were analyzed further because this method has been shown to be efficacious for treatment
of patients with BTC with or without surgery. The patients were divided into four
groups according to performance of surgery and timing during the study period: Group
A, surgery, 2000–2005 (n = 24); Group B, surgery, 2006–2011 (n = 30); Group C, no
surgery, 2000–2005 (n = 65); and Group D, no surgery, 2006–2011 (n = 48). There was
a significant difference in the use of gemcitabine-containing regimens between Groups
A and B and between Groups C and D (Figure 4). This suggests a trend away from the use of 5-FU towards a more frequent use of
gemcitabine concurrently with RT for patients with BTC treated with or without surgery.

Figure 4.Changes in chemotherapy regime combined with radiotherapy during 2000–2011 based on
prior therapy. The patients were divided into four groups according to performance of surgery and
the timing during the study period. A: Surgery, 2000–2005 (n = 24); B: Surgery, 2006–2011 (n = 30); C: No surgery, 2000–2005 (n = 65); D: No surgery, 2006–2011 (n = 48).

Discussion

RT for BTC can be classified into adjuvant therapy after surgery or therapy for inoperable
cases. While no randomized control trial has been conducted, a meta-analysis revealed
that patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma treated with adjuvant RT show a
significantly lower mortality rate than patients treated with surgery alone [3]. Data in the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Result database also suggest that
palliative RT prolongs survival in patients with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma [4]. In these reports, the outcomes of the treatment were reported in detail, but detailed
information on RT use has not been provided and there are few reports on patterns
of RT practice. We therefore decided to evaluate the practice of RT for BTC at Japanese
radiation oncology centers, with the goal of assisting with development of randomized
clinical trials. JROSG has conducted similar surveys and successfully determined the
general patterns of RT practice for several other cancers in Japan [5,6]. Of the 31 responding institutions, 43% treated fewer than 10 patients over the period
covered by the survey. Surprisingly, none of the patients were treated with an investigational
protocol, clearly indicating a need for a prospective multicenter study to determine
a standard therapeutic approach.

The results of the study showed that CT-based treatment planning was used for approximately
90% of the patients. Previous nationwide surveys of the structural characteristics
of radiation oncology in Japan found that only 329 (45%) of 726 facilities in 2003
and 407 (57%) of 712 facilities in 2005 used CT-based treatment planning [7,8]. These results suggest that three-dimensional conformal RT planning became mainstream
during the survey period or that patients with BTC received RT more frequently in
facilities with advanced equipment.

We examined the variations in RT use (modality, total dose, or RT fields) according
to the purpose of RT or BTC subsites. Some analyses have suggested that there is a
dose–response relationship for treatment of BTC and have stressed the importance of
dose escalation [9,10]. However, many patients with EBRT included in this survey were treated with a total
dose of 50 or 50.4 Gy (~40%) and only 13% of the patients received a total dose ≥60
Gy. These data indicate that use of sufficient doses for EBRT for tumors in the hepatic
hilum and liver regions was severely restricted by technical difficulties with the
delivery of high doses to these regions while sparing surrounding organs, including
the liver, duodenum, stomach, and spinal cord, even though most institutions used
CT-based treatment planning. Recently, IMRT has emerged as a sophisticated technique
for treatment of tumors, including BTC, in areas at risk of recurrence, while sparing
adjacent normal tissue from high-dose irradiation [11]. However, only two patients were treated with IMRT for EBRT during the survey period.

ILBT can also be used for dose escalation in a region at risk [9,12] since it has the advantage of allowing delivery of a sufficient dosage to a target
focus while reducing the effect of irradiation on surrounding tissues. Theoretically,
a combination of ILBT and EBRT can enhance the beneficial effects of RT, with fewer
adverse effects than those incurred with EBRT alone. In fact, ILBT with EBRT entailed
a significantly higher EQD2 dose than EBRT alone in our study cohort. While 42% of the institutions performed
ILBT, only 14% of all patients received ILBT combined with EBRT, indicating that this
treatment modality was used only in selected cases because the effect of ILBT is limited
to the area surrounding the lumen of the biliary tract and improvement in local control
can therefore be expected only for small tumors [9].

The optimal radiation field for BTC remains to be defined. The majority of relapses
after resection with curative intent occur at the primary tumor site [13], which suggests that it may be reasonable to limit RT to the primary tumor (bed).
Only 23% of the patients included in this survey received radiation to the tumor (bed)
as well as the regional lymph nodes, regardless of the lymph node status. Although
limiting the radiation field to the tumor (bed) has tended to become prevalent in
Japan, the definition of clinical target volume included regional lymph nodes as well
as the tumor (bed) in a recent meta-analysis of 14 selected papers with detailed information
on adjuvant RT after surgery [3], as well as in many reports on unresectable BTC published since 2000 [14-17]. Collectively, these findings indicate that the radiation field for BTC is not yet
standardized due to the lack of a large randomized control trial and that additional
studies investigating the optimal radiation field should be conducted.

The study presented here showed that chemotherapy is frequently administered in combination
with RT (47% of all patients). Chemotherapy was most often administered during RT,
followed by after RT. Several trials have examined the efficacy of adjuvant chemoradiation
after surgery [18] or of chemoradiation for unresectable cases [19]. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) reported that most CCRT for BTC
involved the use of 5-FU, and that CCRT with gemcitabine is not recommended due to
the limited experience with and potential toxicity of this treatment. However, the
use of CCRT combined with gemcitabine-containing regimens increased in Japan during
the period covered by the current survey, which suggests that additional studies should
be undertaken to establish the optimal sequencing of RT and chemotherapy with drugs
such as gemcitabine. For chemotherapy for advanced BTC, the recent randomized control
phase III ABC-02 study showed that a combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin improved
overall and progression-free survival by 30% over gemcitabine alone [20]. Based on these results, the combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin can now be
considered to be the standard of care as first-line chemotherapy for patients with
advanced or metastatic BTC. In Japan, however, oral anticancer drugs such as TS-1
or UFT also tend to be used as adjuvant chemotherapy after RT, and only two patients
in the current study were treated with a combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin
after RT.

Conclusions

Patients with BTC should continue to be enrolled in prospective studies of RT with
radiosensitizing agents or of RT with dose escalation methods using techniques such
as IMRT. Further surveys and comparisons with results from other countries are needed
for development and optimization of RT for patients with BTC in Japan.

Consent

Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report
and any accompanying images.